Improvement



' 2 Sh'eets.--Sheet I. G.H.PALMER.

Knapsacks Patented June 10,1873.

Inventor AM, PHDTUWOGRAIHIC 00. N )KOSBaR/VEIQ P11120596) 2 Shee ts--heet2.

Patented June 10,1873.

Invenipr: 4 #f G. H. PALM ER.

Knapsaoks.

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UNITED STATESPATEN'I UFFIGE. g

GEORGE H. PALMER, MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT 1N KNAPS'ACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,731, dated June 10,1873; application filed J anuariy 6, 1873. p

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PALMER,

of Monmouth, in the county of Warren and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Army Equipments, of j flexiblematerial, preferably glazed canvas 01' India-rubber cloth, being shapedso as to en'- which the following is a specification The inventionconsists in the improvement of .kna-psacks, as hereinafter described andpointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a perspective view of the knapsack, showing the side next tothe back of the wearer with the blanket strapped on it and the over-coatstrapped on the top. Fig. 3 2 is a perspective view of the waist-brace,the back-pad, and straps for connecting the waist-brace to theshoulder-straps. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the back-pad,shoulderridge-boxesL Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the waist-brace,carrying-braces, cartridge boxes, and the strapsfor suspending them fromthe shoulder straps. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the knapsacksuspended from the back-pad. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of theskeleton frame. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the covering applied tothe frame with the flaps for opening the knapsack raised. Fig. 8 is adetail "iew of the device for detachably connecting the straps to theknapsack and the cover to the frame, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofthe saber and carbinesling'.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

I make the frame of small, tough, flexible pieces of wood, X, buttedtogether at the ends and secured at the corners by strong duck, canvas,or other heavy cloth, b, in which the sticks are bound at the edges, asshown in Fig. 6; and between the sticks are strong thick pieces ofleather on a, fastened to the cloth and turned around the corners. They.are to hold the sticks apart the width of the cloth pieces (1, and toafford sufficient strength for'holdin g the covering and the straps,which are attached to them. About half an inch from the end the woodpieceshave a hole by which they are tied together by strong leatherstrings, asshown ate. The cloth pieces of each corner are connectedtogether by straps Z, which prevent them from sliding upon the rods,and; bind the frame strongly-together at frame may also be connectedtogether at the middle by canvas pieces 6, if preferred, and they mayalso be re-enforcedby strong leather pieces like 0. 00, if desired. Thecover A, of

as represented at D and-the flaps are provided with means of bucklingtogether when folded down, as indicated by the buckles and straps j. arepresents the coat-straps; h, the coat b, the suspending-straps, d, theblanketstraps, waist-brace, carrying-braces, and cartstraps; and e e,loopsfor thesuspending-straps.

The lower loop straps 0 also unite withthe straps d by the metal loops 6to secure the blanket, the said straps d passing through the metal loopsand meeting and buckling together at the middle of bottom of theknapsack. The loopse e are connected to the can be readily shifteda-smay be required for changing the knapsack sides about. t is theback-plate with a metal loop or ring,t' suspendcd from a bar, h, by aleather loop, 1', to which the knapsack is attached by hooks C, so thatit can be readily detached at any time. 1' and s waist-brace and p, thewaist-belt. The shoulder-straps are connected to the back-plate t themto turn freely. l The straps 1" pass through a metal loops to inthe'straps k, by whichthe waist-brace mand the waist-belt p aresuspended. The waist-belt p passes through the loop u on the brace m atthe back, at which point the said brace in has a point extendingdownward in the angle of the back, andteri the corners. The rods of eachside of the knapsack by. themetal loops D, that they represent thedouble shoulder-straps; m, the

miuates with a buckle, 0, for the connection of the strap 9 at thebottom of the knapsack. 1 represents the cartridge-boxes, which aredetachably connected to the waist-belt p.

In Fig. 9 the combined saber and carbine sling is represented by thestraps 1, 2, and 5, 1 being the saber-sling, which is split upward towithin about six inches of the junction with strap 2, and has a metalloop, m, at the end of each branch for booking on the saber. 2 is thecarbine-sling, to which a hook, at, is swiveled at 3, anda snap-hook isattached by strap 4. This sling is attached to the backpad tby thebuckle and strap 5, and the strap 4 is carried forward under the rightarm and hooked into the metal loop 20, ring a, or buckle q, aspreferred.

The knapsack-frame is covered with linen or cotton duck, having on oneside a waterproof flap of vulcanized-rubber cloth. It may be reversed onthe back by simply hooking it from the backpad, turning it, and changingthe supportingstraps to the opposite side. By this means the canvas backmay be turned outward in hot weather, and the water-proof flap outwardin rainy weather. The glazed flap is protected from the sun when turnedtoward the back.

The knapsack is easily manipulated. It sets closely to the back.Whatever is strapped to it on the side next the back has a tendency tomake it tip toward the back instead offrom the back. The straps and thecovering attached to the frame may be removed and replaced at pleasure.The knapsack may be worn at'almost any place desired on the back.

' When the overcoat and blanket are strapped on it is more comfortablyworn so that the top of the overcoat shall be about as high as theshoulders. 0n campaign, the knapsack may be left in quarters, and theblanket, overcoat, haversack containing rations, attached to theback-pad. The overcoat, when the knapsack is carried, may be attached,by its straps, to the back-pad. At inspection or on the march theknapsack can be unhooked from the backpad, leaving the overcoat and thecarryingbraces on the body, and the soldier can lie down to rest withthe overcoat still fast to the back-pad, the overcoat serving for asupport to his head and shoulders. He can also unbuckle his waist belt,and noneof his equipments will fall off should he spring suddenly fromthe ground, his waistbelt being unbuckled. V

The knapsack may be put on and oif three ways. The braces are first puton, and the knapsack hooked to the back-pad. The waistbelt, withwaist-brace attached, may be buckled on, and the knapsack, with back-padhooked on, swung'on the back or the carrying-braces may be attached tothe knapsack, and all put on together like a coat. They are taken olf ina similar manner. All are taken off toing the straps off the shoulders.

By the carrying-braces a man may carry orv drag a heavy load without theuse of his arms, leaving his body unbound, without pressure on chest oraround the waist. They are light and simple and easily repaired whenbroken. They set snugly on the person, yet comfortably, and can not falloff the shoulders, though worn without a waist-belt. Fromone to fourcartridge-boxes may be worn on the waist-belt and supported on the backand shoulders.

Cartridge-boxes, or other articles attached to the waist-brace or thewaist-belt, and carried behind the back, are supported by the back partof the hips, the shoulders, and back, and

tend to balance the weight of the pack attached to the back-pad. Whenapplied to cavalry, these braces support on the back and shoulders theweight of the cavalryman s arms and ammunition, thus relieving the waistand hips of the weight of the saber, the pistol, and thecartridge-boxes. They are worn the same as the infantry braces, thecarbine-sling taking the place of the knapsack on the back-pad. Thecarbine cartridge-box is carried behind the back, at the apex of thewaist-brace, which supports it, the cartridgebox balancing the weight ofthe carbine. The soldier may ride or march with his belt unbuckledwithout having the equipment disarranged. If he is required to do dutyon foot he can strap his clothing, &c., to the backpad of the braces.The carrying-braces tend to hold the body in an erect position, andprevent the shoulders drooping forward. The bars on the back-pad t maybe dispensed with and the metal ring or book Q7 attached to the middleof the back-pad by a leather strap or loop. Near the upper corners ofthe backpad small metal rings a may be attached by leather straps, toreceive straps to bind any load to the back-pad. The saber-sling may bedispensed with, and the carbine-slin g alone. attached to the back-pad,and the saber suspended on the waist-belt, so as to be supported on theshoulders and back by the carrying-braces, the strap 2', on thewaist-brace, being buckled to the waist-belt and supporting waist-beltand saber. By drawing up or letting out the strap 9 in buckle o theweight of the knapsack is changed from the shoulders to the hips, orequally divided between shoulders. back, and hips, or all weight placedon the hips, or all on the shoulders. These changes are for the purposeof giving ease to the wearer.

I propose in practice to have the skeleton frame covered with heavycotton or linen canvas with straps and buckles attached for closing itsside flaps, so that when this canvas covering becomes soiled it can beremoved from the frame and washed, and on this I will have an outsideflap of vulcanized-rubber cloth, covering the top and one sideof theknapsack, but not attached to the canvas covering of the frame, but-tothe top of the frame, by the same brass loops, Fig. 8, that hold theblanket-straps to the frame. It will be adjustableto either side of theknapsack,

and can be put on or off the knapsack without removing the canvascovering. The flap will be held down by straps attached to its loweredge, buckling into buckles attached by straps which will be attached tothe bottom of the knapsack by the brass loops, Fig.

8. The suspending-straps b of the knapsack may, instead of terminatingin the hook 0, be attached (at those ends) to a ring, and this ringhooked on the hook v on the back-pad.

The back-pad obviates the necessity of attaching straps supporting theknapsack directly to it; Its shape enables the straps for the shouldersto be attached in such a manner as to separate them on the back andshoulder, giving more bearing-surface It confines the straps so thatthey cannot slip off the shoulders. It gives additional bearing-surfacefor the weight carried. It prevents the load carried from pullingdirectly downward on the shoulders. It tends to pull toward the centerof the back, which, by

'means of the pad, supports a portion of the weight. It obviates thenecessity of having the straps which pass over the shoulders continueany further down the back than the back-pad. In other carrying-bracesthe straps pass down the back and under the arms, round the waist, andcompress the chest.

The manner of connecting together the front ends of the shoulderstrapsinsures an equal bearing of each strap on the shoulder whena load iscarried. If the ends were connected directly together without using themetal loop w, then, when a load was" carried, one

strap would sometimes sustain all the weight the strap would have toomuch play in the loop to which holds the buckle. The outside strap,being riveted to the inside strap 1' at its swell or widest part,separates the straps, giving more bearing-surface in front of theshoulders. The waist-brace, in combination the knapsack from fallingback. By letting p out the strap 9 the whole weight may be brought tobear on the back and shoulders. The waist-brace supports the waist-belt,and whatever is slung to the waist-belt, at three points-the two strapst and the loop to. At the apex it supports-the waist-belt and a portionof the load carried on the backpad.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters I Patentl. Theknapsack-frame of flexible wood sticks X, canvas corner-pieces b,leather stiffeners a a, connecting-straps. Z, and ties a, combinedsubstantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a knapsack-frame constructed as described, ofcover A B detachably attached to said frame, substantially as specified.

3. The coat-straps a,blanket straps d, suspending-straps b, andloops ea, combined and arranged in detachable and adjustable connection withthe knapsack, substantially as specified.

4:. The combination of the back-pad, double shoulder-straps, andwaistbrace m, substantially as representedin Fig. 3.

5. The combination of the waist-belt p with the waist-brace n andshoulder-straps, substantially as specified. y

6. The combination of the saber and carbine slings, substantially asspecified.

7 The combination of the saber and carbine slings with the back-pad andshoulderbraces, substantially as specified.

8. The detachable fastening-loop D and toggle-piece E, in combinationwith the knapsack and the straps attached thereto, substantially asspecified. l

' GEORGE H. PALMER.

Witnesses:

J AMES VAN VOAST, W. V. RICHARDS.

